Hopeless Wanderer
by MysticEyesx
Summary: What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

The pain was never ending. Each and every time he died, he woke up and suffered once more—he struggled, he thrashed, he pounded against that metal container, and he gasped desperately for air. . . but nothing ever happened, but death. Each and every time he died. And each and every time he came back to life and the suffering begun once more. Days, weeks, months had passed seemed like they passed. Stefan knew not of how long he had truly been trapped in this hell, but it felt like a long time. For all he knew every day was a minute and every hour was a second. All he knew was pain and suffering, life and death. He reached out to them, but no-one ever came. Did they even realise he was still down here? He guessed not. But they visited him in his hallucinations, like the angel and demon on each of his shoulder.

He pleaded for him to just switch it off. And she kept his humanity close to his heart.

Both of them appraised him for being so strong, when really he knew he was slowly loosing whatever strength he had left. They told him they were happy, in love, and he couldn't decide whether that angered or relieved him. They were grateful that he left; they were grateful he let them be happy together. They were both his torture and his comfort. They made him tear his mind in two, they made him doubt who he was; was he a monster? Could he switch it off? Could he survive? Could he really let them be happy when he was—here—suffering?

Eventually, his subconscious made the choice. He just remembered standing beside the window of the Salvatore Boarding House, vast amounts of light streaming through the windows, enveloping him (he had forgotten what the light had felt like). He handed him a drink and placed a hand on his shoulder. His voice whispered for him to let go; to let go of all this pain, anger, and anguish. And when he turned to face them, she was there too. She looked beautiful, her face was glowing. As he stared into her face, he realised he had completely forgotten her name. He only remembered her smile, her laugh and her cry. She told him to do what made him happy. That lead to Stefan's final evolution; how could he be happy when he was suffering? He was far from happiness from where he was.

So that was when it happened. That was when he switched it off. Just before death reached him again, he flipped the switch . . . and then, suddenly, the pain was gone and the strength had returned. He thrashed again, this time with more power than he had ever imagined. The metal of the door shot open, erupting high into the water, bubbles appearing everywhere. But somewhere through the water, there was light up ahead. He had to get to that light, somehow. And somehow, he did. Whether he swam, floated, dragged himself through the water, he did not know. He only remembered the feeling of coming out of the abyss of water. In that moment, he had never felt so free. That was when he felt happiness An extreme amount of happiness that caused the flip to switch back again.

He was alive again.

After that darkness returned to him, but this time it was different. This time the darkness wasn't accompanied with pain. This time he didn't feel afraid of the darkness because he could breathe again.

The darkness barely felt like it lasted a second, whether it was that long, he did not know but the next thing he knew he was hearing voices. Their words were inarticulate—he couldn't understand them—but from the tones and sounds of their voice, they were both female, and one was younger than the other. When he opened his eyes, his assumption was correct; slightly blurred and moving before his vision, there were two females. A girl that barely looked as if she was six or seven—her long curly hair was a peculiar shade of bronze—and her eyes were an entrancing warm brown. The woman next to her was stunning. Her skin was as white as snow, and appeared as if it _sparkled_ in the light above them. Her lips were red as roses and her hair was a lustrous dark brown. But it was her eyes that captivated him most. They were the most vivid shade of gold. They were the same, large, expressive shape as the girl's beside her. The resemblance between the two was astonishing.

"Can . . . hear . . . me?" the woman was speaking to him, but some of the words were muffled. Her voice was just as beautiful as her face. He found herself wanting to know her name.

The girl looked down at him with pursed lips and an extremely thoughtful look on her face . . . she then turned to look up at her mother and started to say something. "Momma . . . have an idea . . ." she continued to elaborate her idea and the mother listened until the end, exchanging looks between him and her daughter. When the daughter finished, the woman looked down at him once more, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and finally nodded. The girl smiled—happy to whatever her mother had agreed to—and shuffled closer to him. The next thing he knew a small hand was placed upon his face. Her hand was warm—warmer than anticipated, but he welcomed the warmth.

The girl smiled down at him, flashing him her brilliant set of white sparkling teeth. "Relax." Was all she said and surprisingly he did.

_Can you hear me . . .? _a voice said—light, airy, like a fairy—but he couldn't understand it. It was the girl's voice, except her lips were not moving. _You can hear me can't you? My name is Renesmee, this is my Momma: Bella. She's going to look after you. I promise. _

That was the last thing he remembered for blackness returned once more.

When he opened his eyes once more, he was surprised at the sudden strength he had required during the duration of the blackout. His vision was clearer; everything was more clearer—his smell, his sound, his sight; he could smell, hear and see everything and the first thing he noticed was the fact he was moving. He was in a car, placed in the passenger seat of an expensive looking car, with two blankets draped over his body. _No wonder he was so hot. _He thought, pushing the covers from his body.

"You're awake" a soft, gentle voice stated almost as a whisper. He snapped his head to the side to see the beautiful woman from before. Before he had woken up, he had gotten it in his head that she had been just another hallucination, but here she was—sitting here before him, mere inches away, behind the wheel of which she grasped loosely with pale hands. "I'm glad. Me and Renesmee were getting worried." She said, continuing in that soft gentle tone that soothed his entire body. He realised—when he heard a fast rhythmic sound—that the two of them weren't alone. He turned in the seat to see the same, tiny girl from before. She was dressed in a large purple parka and her wavy hair reached the bottom of her seatbelt. She raised her hand, smiling cautiously, and waved.

"Hi" she tinkled.

He licked his lips and blinked. "Renesmee…" he thought, softly and thoughtfully, when it finally clicked. "You. . . you two found me . . . Renesmee and Bella . . ." he looked at the beautiful woman, realising that was her name.

The woman smiled sweetly. "Yes. We found you by the water." There was a long pause as he took this new information in. "Since you know both of our names, its only fair that we know yours, Mr . . ."

He furrowed his brow. What _was_ his name? a particular name struck out to him. "Damon."

Bella rose her eyebrows. "Mr. Damon?"

Renesmee giggled behind them. Bella shot her a look through the mirror.

His brows furrowed further. "No . . . it's my first name . . . I think."

"You don't remember your name?" her voice wasn't brass or intruding—it remained as soft as ever. It was more sympathetic than anything.

He glanced sideways, his eye catching his reflection in the mirror positioned in the wing of the car. He blinked, staring back at his reflection. His chin was broad, his lips thin, cheeks prominent, and nose angular. His eyes were large and an earthy shade of green. As for his hair, it was a light shade of brown. _Was Damon his name? How could he not be sure of his own name? _"I . . . I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

"Well _Damon_, I hope you figure out who you are soon." Bella smiled at him in a light-hearted way that made his entire body feel light. She was beautiful and just one look at her caused his breath to hitch and his insides to float around. He couldn't help but return the smile he gave her as best as he could, but he was sure the smile came out crooked or wavering. Regardless she didn't seem to notice his struggle, if anything upon seeing his smile in return, her smile widened. Their eyes connected and for a short moment of time, he felt as if everything around him had disappeared.

But he came back down with a crash landing when a small body squeezed through the gap of their seats, her face appearing beside their shoulders, peering up at him with wide eyes. "You don't look anything like a Damon to me." Renesmee interjected, rather abruptly.

From the other side of the car, Bella gasped, turning to look at Renesmee like she had just done something completely criminal. "Renesmee Carlie Cullen—apologise!"

Renesmee looked at her mother, eyebrows plucked together, protruding an expression of confusion. "What? For what Momma?"

"You were being rude!"

He watched the two of them interact with each other. The smile from before hadn't wavered, even with what Renesmee had just said. There was something about the way the two of them interacted with each other—it was entrancing to watch. He knew he could watch the two of them for hours and never got bored. He also see the love for each other coming off their bodies in waves. Even just the way they looked at each other showed the love for each other—what with the look of fondness in Bella's vivid gold eyes, despite the fact she was scolding her or the look of adoration in Renesmee's own eyes as she argued back. After some time, he realised that—perhaps—he had let their bickering go on for too long.

"It's fine, really." He said, holding up his hands. Bella looked at him disbelievingly. "She doesn't have to apologise," he addressed Bella and then turned to look at Renesmee. "You're right. I don't really look like a Damon do I?" Renesmee blushed and shook her head. He found the notion adorable. "So . . . what do you think I look like?" he challenged the small child and begin to watch as Renesmee thought seriously about his question. He watched, with a smile, as her entire face scrunched up in thought. "Paul?"

Renesmee scrunched up her nose and shakes her head vigorously. "No way."

"Tom?"

Renesmee shakes her head again.

"Mike?" Bella scoffed at this one. He turned to look at Bella, suddenly amused when he saw that Bella was looking incredibly sheepish. "What's wrong with the name Mike?"

Bella looked at him, as if pleading for her not to make her answer that question, but when his face remained unchanged after some while she sighed exasperatedly. "Nothing I guess . . . it's just I knew a Mike and, well, we didn't exactly see eye to eye." Bella shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "He spent his entire day trying to chase me down while I spent my entire day trying to get away from him." Bella explained further.

He couldn't help but laugh, quickly catching on to what Bella meant. "I hope for your sake my name isn't Mike then." Bella shot him a smile that told him that she wouldn't really mind if his name really was Mike. It made him want to laugh further. Instead he shook his head, laughing silently to himself, before looking at Renesmee who was looking between the two of them with a thoughtful look on his face. He knew she was still trying to figure out what kind of name suited him best. "Whatta you think Renesmee? Do I look like a Mike?"

Renesmee sighed and shook her head. "No . . ." she said, resting her chin on the shoulder of Bella's chair. Bella glanced at Renesmee through the mirror and smiled at her lovingly. He continued to watch her, patiently waiting until Renesmee came up with something. He stared at her in silence for some time until finally, she sat up straight, her eyes wide and bright. "Oh I know!" he laughed but waved at her to continue. "Edward." Renesmee suddenly announced. "You look like an Edward." A smile erupting on her face—it was a smile of triumph. She had finally found a name that he suited and he couldn't help but smile back in return.

The smile, however, did not last when he looked at Bella. Her reaction was not what he anticipated. Her face looked like she had seen a ghost. Her skin looked almost grey and her eyes were filled with an emotion he couldn't quite put his finger on. Whatever it meant to her, the name 'Edward' had made her react this way. He wanted to know why, but he guessed that was for another time. Right now he just wanted that horrified expression on her face to leave.

He looked at Renesmee and gave her a face. "Hmm . . . the name doesn't seem to ring any bells. I guess that means it probably isn't my name. I'll just stick with Damon for now. But don't worry, kiddo, I'm sure we'll find the right name soon." He watched as Renesmee slumped back in her seat sighing. She picked up the iPod beside her and plugged the ear-phones into her ears. Soon the muffled sound of music filled the car. He turned back around; getting a glimpse of the grateful look Bella was casting his way, but pretended to remain ignorant of it—staring straight ahead. He moved his arm to rest on the passenger door and repositioned himself into a more comfortable, slouching position. It was then that he noticed a strange ring positioned on his finger. "What's this?" he murmured, fingering the ring from side-to-side.

Bella looked at him and answered nonchalantly. "It's your daylight ring." he looked at her confused. Bella rose her eyebrows and elaborated: "Y'know, the ring that protects you from the sun?" Bella looked at him for a second longer before sighing. "Damn. Don't tell me you forgot about _that _too . . ."

He looked at her even more confused than ever. "Forgot what?"

"That you're a _vampire_."

The words crashed down on him like a ton of bricks.

"I'm a _what?_" by this time Renesmee had taken her ear-plugs out to listen.

Bella looked at him with sympathy that made him feel more uncomfortable than before. "I'm sorry . . . I—I thought you would remember something like that . . ."

He sighed. "No . . ." he whispered, closing his eyes. Images, memories, were flashing before his eyes. "Don't apologise. Now that you've said it—images, memories—are coming back to me now." He said, finishing with a wince when he remembered particular memories of tearing humans' necks apart with long vampiric fangs. "It makes sense now . . ." he murmured, reopening his eyes. "It explains why I can hear, smell, and see _everything_."

Bella nodded. "Heightened senses. One of the perks of being immortal." She said, as if knowing exactly what he was talking about.

He suddenly looked at her in a new light. "You're a vampire too?"

Bella couldn't refrain her laugh. "Um, _hello_, have you seen these?" Bella pointed with one finger to her gold eyes. "They're a dead give away. My kind aren't exactly as discreet as you Walkers; we don't look and sound like a human like you do."

"Walkers?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Bella shrugged. "It's what my kind of vampire calls your kind of vampire."

"Right . . . and what do we call your kind of vampire?"

Bella hummed at that question. "I don't really know; I've only really encountered one of your kind, and she seemed pretty oblivious of my kind of vampire. She was who I got the ring from, by the way." Bella added, gesturing to the ring on his finger. "When I found you, you were without one of those. It's lucky I still had one in hand or else you would be a pile of ashes right now." He winced at this and Bella sighed. "Sorry—didn't mean to be so graphic." He shrugged, dismissing her apology. "Anyway, our kind has been known to be referred to as the 'Cold Ones', purely based on the fact our skin is cold to touch." Bella glanced sideways at him. "Unlike you, we can't use coffee to keep the blood in our body warm because our blood is frozen cold, like we've been left in a cooler for too long."

He nodded taking in this new information carefully. He had no idea whether he knew of Bella's kind of vampire before now, but maybe he would find out in time. He sighed, turning to look out of the window. They were driving along a winding road caged with high evergreen trees. He realised then that he had no recollection of where they were going and where she was taking me. In fact, he had no idea where he even was right now—North America, he guessed. "Where are we going?" he asked finally.

Bella blinked. "Oh," she said, and looked incredibly guilty. "I'm sorry; I should have said this before . . . You see, when me and Renesmee found you—well—we were . . . travelling, per say . . . and we—erm . . . _Oh what am I saying?_" Bella scolded herself. And then, taking in a large exhale of breath. "When we found you, barely conscious on the waterfront, we knew we couldn't leave you there . . . but we couldn't exactly _stop_."

He looked at her, struggling to understand what she was trying to tell him. "I'm sorry, I-urr-don't understand. What are you trying to tell me?"

Bella glanced quickly into the driver's mirror, thankful to see Renesmee's earplugs lodged back into her ear. "For the past two years, me and Renesmee we have been running."

He blinked stupidly. "Running from _what_?"

"The Volturi." Bella rushed. "For the past two years we have been running from the Volturi."

_The Volturi . . . _it didn't ring any bells, at least, not straight away it hadn't. But from the way Bella spoke the word, he guessed it was something he had to be scared of. Were they vampires like them? He wanted to ask, but he guessed - judging by the way Bella lowered her tone to keep Renesmee from hearing - now wasn't exactly the right time. He would save it for anther time.

"So . . . where are you taking me exactly?"

"South America."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

"South America?" he repeated, incredulously. "But what's in South America?"

Bella glanced once more through the mirror towards Renesmee who was stuck between being awake and asleep. When she looked back at him, her eyes were desperate. "Not now." She said, lowly. "I'll tell you everything once we reach the next motel." Bella sighed, returning her gaze back to the road. "The sun is going down fast. It'll be dark soon. We should find a motel to stay in for the night. I can't have Renesmee sleeping in the back of the car one more night." Bella murmured. The last portion of the sentence directed more to herself, a look on her face that he instantly recognised as guilt. She then looked at him, with a sudden thought in mind, biting down on her bottom lip. "Is that OK with you? I'm sorry—I've never really given you the choice have I? If you want I can drop you off in the closest city. I can give you some cash to get to wherever you want to go . . ."

He shook his head dismissively. "That's the thing—I have nowhere I want to go. If you dropped me off, I wouldn't know _where_ to go. I would be lost. At least with you, I know where I'm going." He muttered monotonously to himself, reaching up with one hand to rub his face in distress, when suddenly a thought popped into his head. ". . . You don't mind if I stay with you, do you? At least, until you get to South America. Hopefully by then I'll at least have remembered something about my life."

Bella looked at him with a smile so gentle and so accepting that he felt every trace of thought leave him for a split second. "You can stay with me and Renesmee for as long as you like." Bella told him sweetly, but then—after a moment's thought—her smile faced and her face became solemn. "But there are some things you have to consider, before you decide you want to come with us to South America." Bella glanced at Renesmee worriedly once more. "Me and Renesmee? We're not exactly safe. We're in danger. But I suppose you've probably already guessed that by now. If you decide you want to come with us, you have to realise that _they_ could find out you're with us and they'll be after you too." By they he guessed they were talking about this Volturi. "Are you willing to put yourself in danger because of two people who are complete strangers to you?"

Her last question threw him off course. She was right. Bella and Renesmee _were_ complete strangers to him. He didn't know anything about them—only that they were on the run. For all he knew _they _were the ones that were dangerous, not the people chasing them. He almost scoffed at the last thought. Bella and Renesmee barely looked like the type who would commit something along the lines of evil, but he also had to remember Bella was a _vampire_ and Renesmee . . . well, he didn't quite know what she was exactly . . . but it was besides the point. Bella was a vampire. And vampires are capable of anything. But so was also a vampire. He was also capable of just as much as she was—and apparently to those memories of being a vampire coming back to him, he was capable of a lot more than first justified.

"I'll come with you." Bella blinked. He guessed that from his silence she had assumed he was changing his mind. "I know you're strangers, but really, you're just as much a stranger to me as I am to myself. I have no idea who I am, or who I was before whatever happened to me. All I remember is waking up . . . and you." Bella was looking at him with a look that he couldn't decide was a look or sorrow or sympathy. He guessed both. A part of him didn't want her sympathy, but another part of him—the lonely, lost part of him that has no clue of who he was—welcomed it. "Right now, you and your daughter are the only people in my life right now, and I _really _need you both in my life right now."

Bella was silent for a long time and he was suddenly preparing himself fore rejection. After some time, she inhaled thickly through her nostrils and exhaled moments after. ". . . Okay."

His eyebrows shot up. "Okay?"

Bella gave him a hint of a smile. "Okay as in _okay_ you can come with us."

A smile exploded across his face.

"But you do understand the consequences that could happen from this, don't you?" Bella breathed. "You could be killed." She warned.

His smile dropped but he nodded. "I know . . . but technically I'm already dead, being a vampire an' all." He finished teasingly.

Bella rolled her eyes. "That was awful."

"What you can't appreciate a little humour to lighten the situation?" he laughed. Bella shook her head but laughed nonetheless. He turned his head to look out of the window, smiling and still laughing silently to himself. "You enjoyed it, admit it." He said, murmuring—barely loud enough for a human to hear, but he knew she heard it. She merely scoffed in return. He chuckled and continued to watch the scenery blur move passed them at high speed.

"Momma?" a groggy sleep-infected voice came from behind them. It was Renesmee.

"Yes baby?"

"I'm tired. Can I get my pillow and blanket from the trunk please?"

"No baby—we're not sleeping in the car tonight. We're checking into a motel."

This new information seemed to make Renesmee happy, for she didn't object, and merely sat back in her seat with a sleepy smile on her face.

He turned his head away from Renesmee to look back out of the window when suddenly he spotted something in the distance. "Look, Renesmee—we're in luck. There's a motel just there."

**A/N: Thank you all for the great response so far. It means a lot. Keep it coming! I know a lot of you aren't big fans of Bella/Stefan (and truthfully I'm not usually either) but after watching the first episode of TVD last week, I saw Stefan in a new light. I felt sorry for him! Did any of you guys feel for him as well? The hallucinations got me the most. But I do like Silas though . . . Review, review, review! :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

The car was silent as they swerved into the motel parking lot. 'Benny's Travel Motel' on the outskirts of Tennessee was hardly one hotel critics would recommend, but with one look over his shoulder, he knew this place will have to do; Renesmee was in a state between falling into a deep sleep and keeping awake. Every moment her head would drop sideways against the windowpane, only to snap upright moments later. He didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the poor child. The image was amusing though, so he settled for a chuckle under his breath, which sequentially earned the quizzical stare from Bella. He simply nodded to behind him.

Bella glanced at her daughter and smiled in inner amusement at her daughter's dismay, before turning back to him. "C'mon, let's go get a room . . . from the looks of things we won't be out of a room tonight." Bella added, dryly eyeing the deserted parking lot—bar one rusty truck parked several lots down. "Hey, do you mind doing me a favour? Could you get the purple and black suitcase from the trunk while I take care of Renesmee?" he nodded, unbuckling himself from the seatbelt, and—in sync—the both of them slipped out of the car.

He moved round to the trunk, popping it open and stopped short. His eyes fell on the purple suitcase in the back (the most vivid colour in the darkness around them) . . . and then on the empty hospital bags of blood. He didn't know why he was so shocked. Bella _was_ a vampire after all. I mean, blood was a stable sustenance as a vampire. But somehow he found it impossible to imagine Bella—the sweet, gentle creature that she was—drinking from a bag of blood. Though compared to attempting to imagine Bella drinking from the real deal, the blood bag seemed a lot more imaginable.

"Hey, Damon?" Bella called and the sound of doors slamming shut breaking him out of his reverie. Moments later, she appeared—quicker than any human could—by his side with a sleeping Renesmee effortlessly positioned in her arms. Renesmee's head was tucked into the crook of her neck and her other hand was lodged in Bella's hair, hand clamped tight into a fist, but Bella didn't seem to mind. "You alright there? You look a little bit out of it."

He shook his head. "No." he denied and pulled the suitcases from out of the trunk, the emptied blood bags disappearing from sight as he slammed the trunk shut.

Bella looked at him doubtfully. "Okay . . ."

He gave her a simple smile, that he hoped got right of whatever suspicion she had going on behind those glowing gold eyes (they looked especially brighter in the dark). He then diverted his gaze to Renesmee and frowned. "Hey, why don't I carry Renesmee?"

Bella's eyes narrowed. "Why? You don't think I can manage? Urr hello—super strength?"

He tried to refrain himself from laughing, but he couldn't. He chuckled aloud which made Bella's eyes narrow even further. "No, that's not what I meant. I was just suggesting it because a twenty-something woman carrying a six year old girl effortlessly would look kinda suspicious."

"How? For all the humans know I'm a heavy weight lifting champion." Bella challenged.

He smiled at her sassiness. "Just give me Renesmee, Bella."

Bella sighed exasperatedly. "Fine." And then slipped Renesmee into his arms carefully. "You got her?" he hummed back as a 'yes'. He wrapped his arms around Renesmee's body, carefully—trying not to jostle her. Luckily the transfer from his arms to Bella's didn't seem to wake Renesmee up; as soon as she was put in his arms, she pressed her face against his chest, and sighed, curling up her arms to her body. He watched her wrap herself up in his arms and couldn't ignore the strange feeling that slipped into his body as she did so.

Looking at her made him wonder; did _he_ have a family? He knows he was a vampire and has been for some time, due to some of the memories he had experienced in the past few hours alone. But there was a possibility that maybe—just maybe—he could have had a family like Bella. Bella's a family and she has a daughter with her. But that's probably different. Renesmee looked as if she was only six years old—give or take a year—and that could mean Bella only gave birth six years ago. Bella couldn't have been a vampire any longer than six years. He found that statement crazy to believe.

"Okay, let's go." Bella breathed, suitcases in hands, locking the car with her keys. He nodded and keeping a sturdy grip on Renesmee, they began to walk towards the entrance where a sign in the window beamed 'open' in red lights. Half way across the parking lot, she spoke. "18." She said and he looked at her confused. "I was 18 when I was changed." She elaborated a moment later with one look at his confused look. He blinked—shocked; she hardly looked that age at all. A part of him was jealous—he had no idea how old he was when he changed. He only assumed early 20s, because he looked that at least.

The two of them stepped through into the motel lobby where a man, smoking a cigarette sat behind the desk, reading a Playboy magazine. Bella scrunched up her nose and he was just glad that Renesmee was still asleep. When the door closed shut behind them, the guy looked up and almost dropped his cigarette into the ashtray, his small eyes staring straight at Bella in a way that a woman—in the presence of a child—shouldn't be looked at like. He was surprised when he felt something other than disgust; anger. He felt anger.

Bella appeared to be able to hide her emotions well, because she smiled at the man slightly, and ignored the hardly innocent looks he was giving her. "One room please."

The man straightened up upon being addressed, pushing the magazine away under the desk, and cleared his throat. "Certainly ma'am. Would you like a room for you, your little sister and your . . . brother?"

_Smooth_, he thought sarcastically.

"Oh," Bella said, blinking. "He's not my brother. He's just my . . ."—

"Husband."

Bella looked around at him, eyes clearly bewildered and her mouth moved wordlessly, discreetly mouthing '_what_?' to him without the man knowing.

The man was obviously very disappointed by this news, but his pursuit wasn't dampered. "Oh, my apologies, I didn't realise he was _just_ your husband." His smile curled upwards into a disturbing smile.

He frowned. "The room, please."

Fifteen agonising minutes later, the three of them were stepping into their motel room for the night, and it wasn't much better than the lobby—peeling walls, battered furniture, and an old TV one of the drawers. It was hardly a pleasant sight.

"It will do . . . for the night." Bella muttered, thinking it best to add the last bit. "Renesmee doesn't sleep longer than four hours a night—we'll be ready to go by 5am." Bella sighed as she put down the suitcases beside the door, unzipped them and began to pull out a set of pyjamas, along with a blanket and small head-pillow. She looked up from her crouched position over the suitcases on the floor, realising he was still standing in the doorway, Renesmee in his arms. "You can just put her on the bed." He nodded, silently moving over to the bed where he awkwardly lowered Renesmee onto the bed. She stirred and mumbled a bit, once his arms were gone, but she still didn't wake. She was a heavy sleeper—or she had been incredibly tired.

He realised, when Bella approached the bed holding a set of pyjamas, it would be inappropriate for him to stay in the same room while Bella changed her. "I'll go have a shower while you change her."

Bella nodded understandingly. "Lemme get you a towel." She walked back over to the suitcase, opening the black one this time, and threw him a towel. He caught it without hesitation. He was about to turn and head for the bathroom door when her voice stopped him. "Oh and here, have these." Bella said, throwing him something else. Like the towel, he caught the item effortlessly, and was surprised to see it was too items. "They should fit." He furrowed his brows. _Had she really given him some of her clothes to wear? _He thought, incredulously, but when he opened them out he realised they weren't her clothes—they were men's clothes.

Why did Bella have male clothes in her suitcase?

**A/N: Sorry guys, meant to update yesterday, but ended up having a long day at uni than first anticipated. Got home and collapsed on the bed. Ended up sleeping for the rest of the night. That's what uni does to you guys. Lol. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter though. Thanks for the feedback - you are all very lovely and supportive. Keep it coming! Love to hear what you have to say about this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

After a very uncomfortable shower, he stepped out of the shower, dried himself with the towel, and slipped into the clothes Bella had given them. They fitted, just about. The v-neck woollen jumper just about fitted over his muscled body with slight tightness around the chest and arms, and the slacks were just about his size. He looked down, as he pulled the jumper over his body, and wondered who these clothes possibly belonged to. Judging by the combination of clothes—with the slacks and the v-neck jumper—it belonged to someone well refined. The clothes wasn't exactly to his taste, he decided, but it was a much better alternative to the crumbled clothes strewn upon the floor beside the shower that smell disgustingly of river water.

He picked up his belongings and walked back into the room. For however long he had been in the shower, he hadn't heard a noise coming from the room Bella and Renesmee resided in. Bella was now placed upon the bed, curled up beside a pyjama-clad Renesmee, both appearing to be fast asleep. Renesmee's hands had somehow managed to grasp hold of Bella's and clutched it to her chest like a teddy bear. The both of them looked so peaceful. It was entrancing to watch—especially the way Bella's chest moved up and down with each slow intake of breath she took, and her face so close to Renesmee's head, it looked almost as if she was smelling her. He watched them for some time and after some time, he watched as Bella's mouth formed into a small, sleepy, smile. At first, he thought she was smiling in her sleep, but how wrong he was when Bella's mouth opened—exhaling the breathe she had unconsciously been holding—and spoke.

"It's rude to stare you know." She said, in a tone so quiet it was obvious she was trying to ensure Renesmee wasn't awoken, but he heard it nonetheless from across the silent room. Renesmee didn't move a wink. Suddenly feeling like a creep, he looked down, feeling his cheeks heat up. One of her eyes cracked open, when her reply was awarded with silence, and chuckled when she saw his embarrassed blushes and adverted gaze. He looked like a child caught with their hand stuck in the cookie jar. He didn't look up when he heard her sigh, but he did when he heard her speak once again in the same low whisper. "Times like these are always my favourite." Bella whispered and he looked up to see her gaze intent on Renesmee. Her fingers were now running through her long bronze curls. ". . . Just lying here, in silence, wrapped up in her." Her lips quirked into a small smile as she bent her head back down to nestle her nose in her daughter's hair, inhaled lightly, and pulled back moments later. "She still smells like she did when I first held her in my arms. Fresh, sweet—like the beginning of spring, when the flowers start to bloom and everything comes back to life again." Bella leant down and pressed a kiss to the crown of her daughter's head. "I will always remember the time when I first held her . . . God, she was so tiny but so _beautiful_."

He was compelled. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to say anything. He just wanted to listen to her. Just listen to whatever she had to say.

"I remember being so worried—so scared—that I would . . . _lose it_ . . . but as soon as she put her in my arms . . . everything went away. All worry, all sounds, all smells . . . everything around me had disappeared and it was just me and her. When she put her hand on neck, it was like we were lost in this world of our own. From then on I knew I would do anything for her. And I did." Bella's gold eyes suddenly became shielded, like a memory of the past had formed itself before her eyes. "I did a lot of things for her. Things I'm never going to forget, and always regret, until the end of eternity." Bella croaked. And for some time, she was silent. Every so often her face would clench or wince and he knew that whatever memory she was reliving, it was painful. All he could do was watch. But she came out of it a short while later, when the memory dissolved before her eyes, and she came back to reality. She blinked twice and turned to look at him, the smile on her face was tight. "I suppose you have a lot of questions to ask."

_Yes_, his head thought mentally while his voice said: "It's okay . . . you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to . . ."

She then gave him a look that told him she knew he was lying and just trying to be nice. "If you really plan to come all the way to South America, then you should know." she said, matter-of-factly. She opened her mouth, obviously on the verge of something, when a thought popped into her head; she looked down at Renesmee and then back up at him. "C'mon," she whispered. "Lets continue this outside." He nodded and watched as Bella slowly peeled herself from the bed Renesmee lay upon, draped the blanket over her body, and—when she ushered him with two fingers—followed her out of the room and into the fresh, cold, open late-summer air.

They were now standing on the narrow corridor on the outside of the building, the wall of the building lined with doors that entered into empty motel rooms. Bella watched him, resting against the railings, watching as he quietly clicked the door shut behind him. He looked at her, and she smiled at him—the sweet, beautiful smile he had come to like and admire. She looked at him, upon and down, and then gesturing with a hand, she spoke:

"I see the clothes fit." She said, and then—shrugging slightly—when she paused on the tightness around his chest and arms. "Sorta."

He looked down at the clothes and chuckled, awkwardly. "Who do they belong to?" and then with an after thought he added: "If you don't mind me asking."

At his later injection, Bella rolled her eyes. "They're Renesmee's grandfather's."

"And where is he?"

Bella's lip quirked downwards. "Not here."

He read between the lines of Bella's words. "Oh . . ." he said, suddenly feeling like he had stuck his foot into it. "I'm sorry . . . I . . ."—

"Don't apologise." She interrupted him. He closed his mouth, what she said seeming more like an order than anything. Did she not want pity? And, as if reading his mind, Bella chuckled and clarified. "No . . . it's not like that. Renesmee's grandfather isn't dead. He's not with us because he's in South America. I'm taking some clothes to give to him . . . where he is—well—it doesn't exactly have a mall around the corner." Bella's explained, with a smile on her face.

He nodded understandly. "Right . . . so he's the reason why you're travelling to South America? To visit him?"

"Yes and no." he raised his brow. "Yes . . . because that _is_ a reason why we're going there, but not the only one. As you may guess, Volturi is a big cause of these reasons." He was feeling himself getting more confused by the second. Bella seemed to realise this by his expression and smiled at him gently. "Perhaps it would be wiser for me to explain from the very beginning—yes?"

He exhaled deeply. "That would be great because I'm really lost right now and I have so many questions that need answering."

Bella laughed.

"Well I guess I better get to it then."

**A/N: Cliffy, but no fears, about the start writing the next chapter this moment. Should hope to get the next chapter up within the next hour or two!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

"I suppose it all started when I moved to Forks, I guess. You probably have no idea where that place is—and I doubt you would know where it is, if you had your memories back."—he interjected with a chuckle—"Forks is a small town on the very north-western edge of Washington State. The population is so low, and mostly made out of families who had settled there many years ago, that everyone knew everyone and a new family in town was like the sun actually shining for the first time in a century . . ."—Bella elaborated after his brow-furrowed look directed her way—". . . Forks is, always, if not forever under a near constant cover of clouds and suffers from vast amounts of torrential rain that the town has monthly flood hazards."—the both of them chuckled—"You can probably safely assume that, when I moved there, I was not looking forward to it . . . especially because I was coming straight from Phoenix, where the sun never stops shining, and it rains four times total times in the span of a year."

"I came to leave with my Dad. He _was_ the Chief of Police in Forks."—she empathised on the 'was' and then softly added, while looking into his eyes—"He died five months ago."

He ducked his head, sighing. "I'm sorry."

He dismissed his condolences with the dismissive wave of her hand. "It's okay." She murmured. "He's in a better place now." He frowned when she said that, her voice had cracked at the end. He desperately wanted to reach over and comfort her—whether it was just a hand on hers, or just an arm around her shoulder. Somehow, just somehow, he found himself wanting comfort her. "No . . . don't look at me like that. He really _is_ in a better place—more than you might understand . . . at least, right now anyway." Bella finished with a mutter, looking down at the hands, that were pressed together limply and rested upon the railing. She paused for a moment's thoughts then continued. "Anyway"—she sighed—"Where was I? Ah, yeah, moving to Forks. I moved into my Dad's two bedroom house that he and Mom had bought in their first—and only—few years of marriage. I wasn't pretty excited about the move, but I decided it would be for the best; it would give my Mom the chance to enjoy her second marriage alone. When I moved, I had told myself I would never enjoy living in Forks—it was the opposite of what I had grown up with, having always been grown up with sun and cloudless blue skies—but things couldn't have worked out more differently." Bella shook her head, chuckling slightly to herself. "I loved Forks in the end, but I know that it was only down to the people in it."

"On my first day of Forks High I met the Cullens. I first saw them in the cafeteria—they looked so strange, they stuck out like a sore thumb, with their untouched trays of food and the fact none of them were even talking to one another. They were just looking in complete opposite directions of each other—completely silent."—Bella snickered, shaking her head in amusement—"And the fact they looked like they all belonged on billboards or on the front pages of magazines was kinda an eye-sore too. But their white pale skin certainly fitted in with the whole Forks environment."—He looked at her, head cocked to the side. Bella glance at him sideways, smirking—"You can probably already guess why they were so different from everyone else and why they caught my eye."

He nodded. _Vampires_. She—too—had caught his eye with her painstaking beauty, snow-white pale skin, and strangeness.

"Thought so . . . but there was one particular member of the Cullen that caught my eye more than the others: Edward. We . . . had this strange connection—Perhaps not quite a good connection on Edward's behalf, because it often left him struggling for control in each other's presence. I was his singer, or so that was what they short-termed it. It meant my blood sang to him, more than any other human blood. As a human, I didn't quite understand the full extent of Edward's situation—only now, as a vampire—do I finally understand and sympathise with him."—Bella said, shaking her head at her own past foolishness—"But despite his struggle to maintain control around me, Edward couldn't seem to stay away from me. He tried, for a few days, but failed. When I eventually found out what he was, we fell in love. And after some bumps and pot-holes in the road, one thing lead to another, and after my graduation we got in engaged. I mean, a lot happened in between that time, but I think it would be best to just give you the short version and not bore you with the details." She flashed him a quick, bright smile.

He shrugged. "I don't mind."

She laughed. "Well, I do. I imagine we only have about threes until Renesmee wakes up and I still have your questions to answer." They both chuckled. "Getting engaged wasn't exactly something I had been hoping and anticipating for. After my own parents failed marriage, I wasn't exactly in any hurry to marry, but Edward was insistent upon it . . . Y'see, I had gotten it in my head that the only way Edward and I could only truly be together forever was if I turned into one of him—a vampire. Which, arguably said, is true . . . the only way we could have been together forever was only if I changed, but I see things a lot differently now."—he wondered what exactly she meant by this so he added it to his ongoing list of questions piling up at the back of his brain—"Anyway, Edward and I agreed that—in order to become a vampire—I would have to marry him. So, a bit reluctantly, I agreed. I became a lot less reluctant to it all in the end though, when the wedding drew near." She paused, suddenly becoming lost in her own thoughts and memories, a distant look on her face.

He decided to interrupt her from her reverie this time. "Did you end up marrying him?"

Bella looked at him, as if repeating the question in her head until she finally understood it (being too lost in her own thoughts when he had first said it). "Yes." She replied breathlessly. "We married in the August after the graduation, before I was to go off to Dartmouth for my 'college experience'."—when she answered, he couldn't help but glance down at her hand and notice the missing ring on her finger. What had happened to their marriage?—"I enjoyed getting married a lot more than I first thought, but I enjoyed the honeymoon a lot more."—he didn't know why but hearing her say that made him uncomfortable, and not in a god way—"We went to a island owned by the Cullens and we stayed there for a short time. We were meant to stay for longer, but our stay was cut short by a—ur—unexpected revolution." Bella smiled, dropping one of her hands to her stomach.

He couldn't help but grin as well. "Pregnant?"

Bella smiled back at him. "Pregnant." She confirmed.

**A/N: Leaving this chapter here for now, because I like to keep my chapters at a certain length! Hope you're enjoying this story so far. Please remember to review, favourite or follow! P.S. the inspiration for this story title is from the Mumford and Sons song 'Hopeless Wanderer'. Check it out—it's good! I thought it was perfect for this story and what I had in mind!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

"Was Edward happy about the pregnancy?"

Bella looked at him momentarily before looking away, and answering hesitantly: "No." Bella sighed. "Edward wasn't happy about the pregnancy, but not for the reasons you're probably thinking. Edward had nothing against being a father—if the circumstances had been different, he would have been ecstatic to be a father." Bella murmured, her eyes moving across the night, staring out into blackness. He found himself curious about what she meant by '_if the circumstances were different_'. "We returned to Forks without anyone but Edward's family knowing. Everyone else—my parents included—thought I was still on my honeymoon. No-one could know about what had happened on the island—at least, no-one but the Cullens."

"Why?" he asked, curiously.

Bella looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Isn't it obvious? This pregnancy was no normal pregnancy. I had already developed a bump within a span of a week. This pregnancy—somehow—was moving at an abnormally fast pace. We couldn't go to a doctor, because that would risk exposure, but luckily Edward's father had spent centuries perfecting his control by preforming medicine." Bella chuckled at his look. "I know. A vampire as a doctor—how ironic, right? But it couldn't have been more convenient. My kind of vampire couldn't exactly compel a human to treat us and forget what they saw, not like you Walkers can." Bella said matter-of-factly. He vaguely remembered compulsion being a way in which his kind of vampires can manipulate the human mind. He also remembered using such compulsion multiple of times. "When Edward and I returned to Forks, Edward had every intention to _sort_ the problem." Bella continued, muttering and wincing.

He blinked. "You mean . . . Edward wanted to _abort _the baby?"

"Yes," Bella answered stiffly. "And he wasn't alone in this. None of the Cullens knew what they were up against—until then they were convinced it was impossible for vampire to conceive, for vampire pregnancies hadn't ever been heard of before. Until a short while ago, we were convinced Renesmee was the first of her kind, but I will get onto that later." Bella informed and he nodded. "At the island, I knew Edward would try to make me abort the baby. I just _knew_ from the look in his face when he heard her heartbeat that he had no intention of letting me go through something that would potentially kill me. After all I was human and the baby was obviously half-vampire. I knew Edward was right—the baby _would_ kill me . . . But I had to do something to protect the baby."

He leant forward, intrigued. "What did you do?"

Bella looked at him, the right corner of her lip curling upwards. "Rosalie." And then, at his confused look, she explained. "Rosalie was Edward's sister, a member of the Cullen clan. Before then Rosalie and I had never gotten along, purely based on the fact she was vampire and I was human. Rosalie despised what she was and one of her biggest unfulfilled dreams in life was having a child of her own. Although it was possible for a male vampire to impregnate a human woman, it was impossible for a female vampire to become pregnant. Perhaps I was wrong to use her the way I did, to protect my baby, but I knew I couldn't just stand by and let them take this baby away from me. It took little persuasion to get Rosalie on my side. She heard the heartbeat and with a little words here and there, she was sold. She knew from the beginning that this pregnancy could lead to my death, and a part of me knew that if I would die, Rosalie would finally get her opportunity to be the mother she craved to be. And the pregnancy did lead me to my death . . . except not in the typical way." She smirked, glancing sideways at him. "And that was how I changed; when Renesmee was born, my body could no longer cope with the damage the pregnancy had done to it. I was dead for sometime . . . until Edward injected me with venom straight to the heart and then three days later I was _un_dead." She smiled slightly. "I enjoyed becoming a vampire very much. I mean, the bloodlust was an issue, but I had been gifted with good control—or at least, that was what the Cullens had told me—meaning my first few months of being a vampire wasn't half as manic as they had first anticipated it to be."

As he listened to her, he couldn't help but doubt her words. How could someone enjoy becoming a vampire so much? But back then Bella seemed to have everything. She had a family, a husband, and even an impossible child. On top of that, she was granted with control (something he didn't seem to have according to the memories that haunt him). She seemed to have eternity figured out. But what went wrong? Where did this 'Volturi' come into things?

"You're probably wondering where the Volturi came into this story?" Bella said, as if reading his mind.

He nodded but then, after a moment's consideration, he finally spoke the question plaguing their mind. "Who—or _what_—is the Volturi? I . . . I've never heard of them before—at least, not that I can remember, which isn't a lot . . ."

Bella gave him a soft, reassuring smile and answered him: "Its okay—not a lot of Walkers know who the Volturi are, the ones who haven't been immortal for long specifically." She reassured. She then inhaled and exhaled deeply, her face becoming solemn. "The Volturi are one of the most powerful clans of our kind—they are the law enforcers, if you will, but they see themselves as royalty. Two thousand years ago, they created rules for our kind to abide by and if someone were, to say, break one of those rules their punishment is death." Bella's voice cracked at the end.

"You don't have to explain if it's too much."

Bella clenched her jaw and shook her head firmly. "No." she said through gritted teeth. "You _need_ to know this."

He stepped forward, until he was within reaching distance, and placed his hand on her shoulder. He ignore the chill that went across him when he placed his hand on her shoulder. When Bella turned to look at him, her eyes wide and bright like an owl in darkness, he finally spoke. "I don't need to know everything straight away. It can wait." He said, in the most convincing tone he could muster. He wanted her to understand desperately that. He really _didn't_ need to know—at least, not right away. The questions could wait for another time. After all, they had a long road trip ahead of them.

Bella didn't seem to hear what he said (or maybe she just ignored him, he didn't know) for when she spoke back to him, she did the exact opposite to what he was supposing. "The Volturi has three leaders—Marcus, Caius and A-Aro. Edward's father—Renesmee's grandfather—was well acquainted with the Volturi after spending some time with them in the past. Renesmee's grandfather had sparked interest in Aro with his strange aversion to blood, and his preference to drink the blood of animals. Because of that, Aro kept close tags on him. He watched as he began his own coven, that grew with time. By the time he discovers one of his coven members had broken one of the rules by fraternising with a human, Aro began to see us as a threat, and then when word caught on that a _vampire child _had been thrown into the mix . . . well, Aro's attention was captivated." Bella shook her head. "He thought Renesmee was an immortal child."

"An immortal child?" he asked.

Bella licked her lips. "One of the three rules that the Volturi enforced was that our kind is never to change a human child below the age of thirteen into one of us."

He furrowed his brows, confused. "But didn't he realise Renesmee was your child by birth?"

Bella shook her head. "That piece of information seemed to have been lost in the crossfire." Bella spat. "And that is why they originally came for us—because they thought Renesmee was an immortal child." Bella withdrew a shaky breath and he could see her resolve slowly crumbling away. "And even when Aro and their army witnessed her beating heart, human brown eyes, and blushed cheeks, they did not change their mind, for before they even set eyes on her, they had already decided to kills us all. Me, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Esme, Carlisle . . . _Renesmee_. They wanted to kill us all and they almost did." Bella looked at him, her eyes glistening in the flickering electric light above them. "Only a few of us survived out of sheer self-preservation." Bella was gasping for breath now, slowly coming to the verge of hysteria. "I ran, Damon. I watched as my husband, my best friend, my family were torn to pieces and I ran. I took Renesmee and I ran as fast as I could, never looking back."

Wordlessly, he reached forward and pulled her to his chest. Her face buried itself into his chest and seconds later she dissolved into tearless gut-wrenching cries.

**A/N: Haven't quite decided with whether I'm happy with how this chapter turned out, but oh well. Sorry for the late update, had loads of tutorial preps to do for uni, but I've updated now! *flashes a hopeful grin* On another note, what did you guys think to the ending of TVD's last ep? Omg, its as if TVD writers and I are thinking on the same wave-length . . . lmao, okay, maybe not but I was pretty shocked when Stefan said "I'm sorry—who are you?" hahaha! AND THE DOPPELGANGER HISTORY! Oh my golly gosh, loved it. The 'one true love' plot idea was right up my street. Can't wait for next ep!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

He stared down absentmindedly at the beautiful vampire in his arms. Many moments had passed and Bella still remained in his arms, sobbing tearless cries. He guessed the tearless cries had something to do with her race of vampire, because there was no doubt that if Bella could produce tears, she would be crying a river right now. He could hear the anguish with each gut-wrenching cry she made. He could hear the guilt, the sadness, the pain, and the loss delved deep within her. What Bella admitted to him moments ago must've been eating away at her for so long, because if it hadn't, he wouldn't be in the position he was in right now—cradling Bella, as if a child, in his arms and running his fingers soothingly through her lustrous mahogany-brown locks.

After sometime, Bella finally pulled away, sniffing and shyly pushing the loose strands of hair behind her ear. She had yet to look him in the eye with those captivating golden orbs. "I'm sorry . . ." She croaked, voice shuddering from her cries.

He felt his heart ache. "No . . . no." he shook his head, tone as soft as silk. "You don't have to apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Bella looked away, face cringing, and filled with self-hate. From that expression he knew his words hadn't made any outlandish affect on her. "I'm . . ."—she exhaled deeply, in vain hope of returning to her original state of mind—". . . I'm sure you have a thousand and one questions that you're dying to ask."

"Questions can wait." He said, firmly, hoping to get the point across that finding the answers to his questions were the last thing on his mind.

Bella shook her head, wrapping her arms around her body. She looked so vulnerable. "No, you should ask them now." She whispered, finally looking up and gold met with green. "Honestly, go ahead—ask away." He looked at her dubiously for sometime. He had no intention to question her when she was already in the state that she was in and it wasn't until she pleaded "_Please_" that is intention caved and his defeat followed.

"Fine." He said, reaching up and scratching the back of his head. Bella was watching his every move, her wide eyes never straying, and her head cocked slightly to the side. "You say you're travelling to South America . . ."—he began, Bella nodded, more as an urge for him to continue—". . . and you also say you are going to meet someone: Renesmee's grandfather." He paused. "If your father has . . . _passed_, then am I right in saying this is Renesmee's other grandfather—_Ed_-his father?"

Bella chuckled humourlessly. "You can say his name. I won't start crying again by just saying his name, I promise." She smirked.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "But before—in the car—when Renesmee said his name . . ."—Bella froze—"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought it up . . ."—

"No," Bella quickly interrupted. "No . . ."—she then said slower—". . . Don't say that. You're allowed to say what you want. The reason I reacted the way I did wasn't primarily because Renesmee had said Edward's name—well, it was, but that wasn't the main reason. The main reason that I reacted the way I did was because Renesmee had a point." He looked utterly confused and Bella sighed. "Renesmee said 'Edward' because—well—you _do_ look like an Edward, and not just any Edward: _our _Edward." Bella exhaled frustratingly and shook her head. "I'm not making any sense am I?"

He opened his mouth, but no words came out straight away. "Are you . . . are you saying that I look like Renesmee's father?"

Bella licked her lips and answered hesitantly. "Yes." His mouth opened soundly once more, baffled by this new information. "It's quite uncanny really."—when he started to look freaked out by this notion, Bella quickly added: "I-I mean the differences are there—subtle differences but they are there." Bella moved forward until they the distance between them was all but none and their chests were almost touching. He heard his breath spike, but thankfully Bella didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't acknowledge it in the open. She was staring at his face, inspecting his every feature with great, quiet interest. And then out of the blue, her fingertips were touching the skin on his cheek, touch soft, cool and so light, it felt like the air brushing against his cheek. She didn't seem to notice the way he tensed and when she spoke, her voice was like a whistle in a light breeze. "When I first set eyes on you, on the waterbank, I disillusioned myself to thinking you were actually him—I thought he had finally come back for us—but when I came closer to you, I saw the differences; the hair . . ."—her eyes fluttered upwards—" . . . the jaw . . ."—her fingers trailed across his jawline—". . . your eyes . . ."—she whispered, fingers moving to the corner of his eyes—"His were gold, but Renesmee's grandfather had once told me his eyes were green. I like to imagine his eyes had been just like yours." She was so close to him now, their faces were within inches from each-others and her lips were so close, just one movement, and they'd be touching. He could smell her everywhere. Involuntarily, he felt his eyes flutter. They were beginning to close when . . . she suddenly moved away.

She had snapped out of it, shaking her head.

"I-I'm sorry—I have no idea what went over me . . . I-I'm s-sorry, I'll g-go . . ." Bella moved to rush back into their motel room, to escape, but he quickly (with speed he never imagined he'd possessed [he had to remind himself he was in-fact a vampire]) grabbed her wrist gently and stopped her from going. She was looking at the floor and he had this feeling that, if she wasn't a vampire, then she would be blushing.

"Don't." he said, firmly but softly.

Bella inhaled lightly. "I could have left you, you know. I could have left you on the waterbank and you probably would have woken up alone, never knowing we had found you there because we had walked away. B-but I didn't. When looking at your face, s-somehow I knew I couldn't leave you behind like that. You just looked _so_ much like him—I-I just couldn't leave you there." Bella shook her head, wincing. "This probably sounds _really_ creepy to you."

They both shared a small chuckle and he slowly let her wrist go. "No," he said, sighing. "It doesn't actually. For some reason, everything you're saying to me—about not wanting to leave me because I looked just like your husband . . . well, it feels strangely familiar." Bella looked at him with confusion, head cocked to the side, silently questioning what he had just said. He sighed and shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I don't know why it feels familiar, but it just does. Maybe I saved a girl from a waterbank because she looked exactly like a woman I used to love like you did too." He joked.

Bella shook her head and smiled. She opened her mouth to reply when suddenly she froze. "Renesmee's awake." She whispered after sometime. He furrowed his brow; _had it really been three hours?_ He looked out and somewhere in the horizon, he could just about make out a hint of light peaking out from the shadows. "I guess its time to get on the road again." Bella shot him a small smile, before ducking her head, and slipping back into the motel room to great Renesmee as she awoke.

He watched her leave, brows furrowed. Something had changed between them in the past three hours and he had no idea where it was leading them to becoming.

**A/N: I know, I know, it took me a while to update, but ta-da! Here's the update. I hope you enjoyed it. The main reason that I haven't updated, aside from uni taking up my time, was because I wanted to watch a few more of the TVD episodes to kinda understand where I wanted this story to go. Luckily I won't be following the S5 storyline in the sense that Bella, Stefan and Renesmee will be in Mystic Falls and being involved in the Silas plotline. However, in the terms of the doppelganger-soulmate-situation, I've kinda figured out how exactly I am going to approach things. P.S. did you like the bit I added with Stefan unknowingly talking about saving Elena from the car-crash? I was being a bit sneaky there, LOL. Anyways, make sure to review, follow and favourite this story. Would also like to hear your opinions on how S5 is going so far. Delena is growing on me, but would still choose Della over Delena in a heartbeat! :P**

**P.P.S - Bella will answer more questions Stefan has about her life in later chapters. This isn't the end of it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **What if Stefan escapes from the bottom of the falls but doesn't return to Mystic Falls? In his weakened state, he is found by a vampire and her half-human half-vampire child. He remembers little of his life, only the bits that haunt him. Stefan follows the vampire and the hybrid child on their journey. And on that journey, he finds something he hasn't found in sometime: a family.

**Hopeless Wanderer**

When he finally walked through the motel door, after breaking himself from his thoughts, he found the motel room empty, the bed straightened and the dusty lamp on the bedside cabinet lit. Moments later after he shut the door closed, Bella slipped out of the door that lead through into the bathroom, leaving the door open ajar. She looked at him and smiled at him sheepishly, insinuating that she was still embarrassed about their moment before. The two of them stood in awkward silence, rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet, until the sound of water breaking interrupted the silence.

"Renesmee's taking a shower." Bella informed, nodding her head back towards the ajar bathroom door behind her. He nodded, wordlessly, and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. Bella licked her lips and cautiously took two steps closer to him. The only thing that stood in their way was the bed and he wasn't sure whether he liked the distance. "I hope things won't be awkward between the two of us after what I told you about . . ."—Bella mouthed the next word—". . . _Edward_." She cautiously glanced behind her. Renesmee's fluttering heartbeat remained the same quick-paced tempo he had noticed the first time he saw her in the backseat of the car. It was soft, but fast, like a hummingbird. "I didn't freak you out, did I? You weren't just saying those things about it feeling familiar to you to make me feel better, were you?" Bella asked worriedly.

He had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes. "Bella—you didn't freak me out. Stop worrying." Pause. He realised he might have come across too strong, and instantly regretted what he had just said. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Instead of reacting like he thought she would (hurt), she reacted quite the opposite; she rolled her eyes and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry . . . worrying comes with being a parent. You would understand if you had kids." '_if you had kids'_ . . . the words stuck with him more than they should of. _Did _he have kids? He wondered, hopelessly. It wasn't as if he could answer the question—not when he remembered barely anything of his life before waking up on the bank. For all he knew, he could have his own Renesmee running around. If it was possible for Bella's husband to conceive, then was it possible for him too? He couldn't hide the horrifying feeling he felt next. "Damon?" Bella called out to him in her beautiful, soft, bell-like tone of voice. She was closer to him now, worry invading her face, as she looked up at him. She was a lot smaller than he was—the top of her head just reaching his collarbone. "Is something the matter? Have you remembered something?" Bella inquired, hopefully, eyes sparkling. Parts of him softened at the thought that Bella actually cared enough to want him have his memories back.

He shook his head. "No." he mumbled. "I just thought . . . what if I _do_ have a child? Like Renesmee? Somewhere, out there? What if I'm a _father_?"

Bella cringed, gently placing a hand on his forearm. The touch was cool, making him shiver. She mistook his shivers for something else and quickly pulled his hand away. He wanted to say something—tell her that that wasn't what he meant, but he didn't. "I'm sorry, Damon." Bella whispered, placing herself down on the foot of the bed. He silently placed himself down next to her. The springs of the old bed squeaked. "I can't imagine how hard this is for you, not knowing where you come from or who you really are." She shook her head. "But I'm sure—if you have a family out there—they're looking for you."

He frowned. He struggled to think that someone out there was looking for him.

After a few moments of silence, Bella broke it. "I never answered your question." She whispered, randomly. He looked up sideways at her. She looked so elegant, and so still—like a statue. Her leg was crossed over the over, her hands delicately placed in her lap, and staring at him with those wide expressive gold eyes. "It is Edward's father who is staying in South America: Carlisle. He's been down there for some months now, having escaped Volterra a year ago." Bella moved her eyes to stare down at her lap. Inhaling a shuddering breath, she continued in a low whisper (no doubt so Renesmee could overhear): "After I took Renesmee and ran, the Volturi captured some of the people who had come to help defend us. Carlisle I believe is one of them, who was captured, and Rosalie another . . . but I couldn't be sure. When Carlisle escaped, he searched every cell but never found her. He believed her dead."

He looked intently at Bella's expression. "But you believe her alive?"

She glanced up, their eyes connected, and she quickly looked away before he could see the guilt and sorrow. "She has to be." Bella murmured. "And I plan to find out."

He furrowed his brow. "Wait . . . you mean you're going after this Volturi?" Bella neither denied nor agreed to this statement. "But that doesn't make sense . . . you said you were on the run to South America."

Bella nodded. "We are." She said. "There are matters I have to attend to in South America—people I must find, who will help me."

"I-I don't understand."

"I don't expect you to." Bella looked up and gave him a small, weak smile.

"Momma?" Neither of them had noticed the water had shut off and Renesmee was now standing in the motel room, dressed in the same purple parka as before with different clothes underneath, and damp hair down her back. Renesmee was looking between Bella and him, cautiously, hairbrush in hand.

Bella stood up and walked over to her daughter. "You ready baby?" Renesmee nodded with an 'Mm-Hm'. Bella smiled and then crouched down, a sudden serious look crossing her face. "You know what you have to do now though, don't you?" Renesmee nodded again. Bella smiled—though this smile was forced, strained even. "Good girl. Mommy loves you sweetheart." And then Bella pressed her lips to her forehead. Renesmee's eyes fluttered, leaning into the kiss. He felt the need to look away, feeling as if he was invading in some personal moment. Renesmee reached up and pressed a small palm to Bella's marble-white cheek. Bella let out a croaky chuckle seconds later. "You're your father through and through." Renesmee beamed, delighted at what she had said, and pulled away.

_What was that? _He thought.

Bella interrupted his thoughts by standing up. "Okay. Let's go." Bella turned to look at him, giving him a look that informed him she knew he was curious about what had just happened. Instead of asking, he decided to let it go. He collected all their things, causing Bella to give him a cocked-brow look, which he returned with a shrug of the shoulder and silently walked out of the motel room, leaving the door open for Bella and Renesmee to walk through. "Aren't you the gentleman." Bella cooed.

Renesmee giggled and curtsied, lifting up her skirt with the hand that wasn't in Bella's. "Thank you kind sir."

He chuckled low under his breath and mock-bowed. "My honor, Princess."

Renesmee giggled again and Bella smiled down fondly at her daughter.

The three of them headed back to the reception where they were surprised to still find the same man behind the desk. He looked up at them when they entered. He certainly looked like he was ready for his shift to be over.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked, eyes intently watching Bella's every movement.

Bella smiled forcefully. "Yes—trying to beat traffic." Bella then looked down at Renesmee. Renesmee was looking up at her mother, looking as if waiting for a command. Bella nodded twice to her daughter. Renesmee looked back at the man and stepped forward towards the man behind the desk.

The man leant over the desk, watching Renesmee approach him with a sick grin on his face. "Hello girlie." He grinned. "Aren't you pretty?" A growl rumbled from somewhere at the back of his throat and he was surprised when he heard another low growl from beside him. He glanced quickly at Bella to see her stone-cold expression, upper lip curled back in a snarl. He reminded her of a protective lioness, protecting her cubs. "Can I help you, pretty girl?" He looked back to see Renesmee was now at the desk. The man had lent further over the desk.

Renesmee then suddenly reached forward, and pressed her palm to his oily cheek. The man's breath hitched, his eyes widened—staring straight at her, unseeingly. Her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her eyes narrowed in concentration. The man began to shake violently, his body thrashing on top of the desk. When he looked from the man and Renesmee to Bella, he was surprised to Bella completely calm like this was something she'd seen before. _Was _it something she had seen before? He looked back at Renesmee.

She held her palm there for several more seconds before letting go. The man dropped to the desk with a loud _bang_, unconscious, his eyes rolling back into the back of his head. Renesmee stared at the man for a lingering second before looking at her mother unaffectedly, blinking.

"Come here," Bella whispered, holding out her arms immediately. Renesmee rushed to her and Bella picked her up. Renesmee wrapped her legs around Bella's waist and nuzzled her head into her mother's neck. "Good girl. Good, brave girl." Bella murmured into her damp hair, pressing several kisses there, completely avoiding the look he was giving her. "Come on." Bella whispered, addressing him, without looking his way. "We need to get out of here before he wakes up."

He nodded and they made a mad dash to the car that sat waiting for them in the parking lot. He didn't say anything until Renesmee was strapped in and Bella had slammed the driver's door closed. "What _was_ that?"

Bella sighed and looked at him emotionlessly. "That was a part of Renesmee's power; she erased his memory."

**A/N: Hello readers! Thanks for reading the chapter. I hoped you liked it—especially all you who have favourite'd & followed this story. Thanks, again, by the way for all the support you've been giving me just by reviewing this story. It really makes me want to keep writing :) Keep on at it! Hope you're all having a lovely day, wherever you are. P.S. Who's loving Amara? ME! She's only been in a few scenes but I can already tell I love Crazy-Pants! LOL. Looking forward to watching the next ep! Tell me what your reaction to Amara was, please—would love to hear :)**


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